From HHP, HHK and HHC to CHM?

Discussion:

(too old to reply)

-+= graq =+-

2004-04-28 08:13:25 UTC

Hi.

I have used a piece of software that creates a docs.hhp, contents.hhc,
index.hhk and a whole bunch of html files.

How do I convert this to a docs.chm file?

Many thanks.

-=-
Email replies to <yourname> @ domain as 'google' is a spam trap.

Ulrich Kulle

2004-04-28 09:01:41 UTC

Permalink

Hello Grap,

Post by -+= graq =+-
I have used a piece of software that creates a docs.hhp,

contents.hhc,

Post by -+= graq =+-
index.hhk and a whole bunch of html files.
How do I convert this to a docs.chm file?

please try to find a function "Save as CHM" in your piece
of software - may be...

The compiler for producing .CHM Help files is called HTML
Help Workshop. You can download from:
http://tinyurl.com/gle

For further information see www.mshelpwiki.com:
http://tinyurl.com/22x6r

Note that there is a tutorial for HH Workshop.

If you need more than HH Workshop have a look at FAR
(http://www.helpware.net).

HTH

Best regards
Ulrich Kulle
******************************
http://www.help-info.de
******************************

-+= graq =+-

2004-04-28 15:30:36 UTC

Permalink

Post by Ulrich Kulle
Hello Grap,

Hi. Thanks for the reply.

I looked up 'grap' and got "Groupe de Recherche en Ambiances
Physiques".
Heh :)

Post by Ulrich Kulle
please try to find a function "Save as CHM" in your piece
of software - may be...

It's a piece of Linux code I have run from the command line that has
parsed files that contain proprietary syntax - which it uses to
generate all sorts of things (pdfs, text, html, hhp etc).
Unfortunately there is no "Save as CHM".

Post by Ulrich Kulle
The compiler for producing .CHM Help files is called HTML
http://tinyurl.com/gle

I have been that very MS help page. Unfortunately it appears that my
HDD is too big to install htmlhelp.exe(the application claims there is
not enough space left when there is near 100Gb). I dismissed it all as
MS rubbish. Are there any alternatives, or some other way I can get it
running?

I tried Compatibility mode, but it then fails to install because of
missing DLLs.. (win85 ones by the looks of it too!?!?!)

Post by Ulrich Kulle
http://tinyurl.com/22x6r

Helpful pages, but they do just seem to point back that same MS page?

Graq (with a queueueueue) :P
-=-
Email replies to <yourname> @ domain as 'google' is a spam trap.

Dana Cline

2004-04-28 17:50:54 UTC

Permalink

Correct me if I'm wrong, but several things I infer from your message...

You're running Linux. Your "authoring tool" was something you found on an
open-source software site that probably has no documentation. You're trying
to install the Help Workshop but it fails.

I think the main problem here is you're running Linux and trying to create
Windows help. Sounds like you should be running Windows and you wouldn't be
having these (specific) problems.

Dana Cline - MVP

-+= graq =+-

2004-04-29 08:02:00 UTC

Permalink

Post by Dana Cline
Correct me if I'm wrong, but several things I infer from your message...

Err.. you are wrong ... and right, of course! It's always both, makes
life so beautifully complicated.

Post by Dana Cline
You're running Linux. Your "authoring tool" was something you found on an
open-source software site that probably has no documentation. You're trying
to install the Help Workshop but it fails.

I'm running Linux, Unix and WinXP all in a network. The files used as
source for the creating of the .hhp (and other) files are on Linux.
The software used to create them is open source and was run on Linux.
I then moved all the help files created onto a WinXP machine and here
I am...

Post by Dana Cline
I think the main problem here is you're running Linux and trying to create
Windows help. Sounds like you should be running Windows and you wouldn't be
having these (specific) problems.

The saga (so far) - refering to the MS help download page - is that
HHupd.exe will not install as I have IE6 on WinXP SP1 (which
supercedes it). HTMLHelp.exe will not install (normally) as it thinks
I don't have enough HDD space. However I managed to install it running
it under Win2K compatibility mode (hurrah!).

However when I try to compile the .chm, the application craches,
creating a file C:\main.err. The contents follows:

Wednesday, April 28, 2004 16:32:27
Microsoft HTML Help Workshop Version 4.74.8702
HHA Version 4.74.8702
htmlproc.cpp(114) : Assertion failure: (pszTmp ==
m_pCompiler->m_pHtmlMem->psz)

Googling for the error leads to pages pointing back to the MS Help web
page, indicating that an update is required. Which leaves me back
where I was?

Post by Dana Cline
Dana Cline - MVP

Thanks Dana.

Pete Lees [MVP]

2004-04-29 09:47:04 UTC

Permalink

Graq,

Post by -+= graq =+-
However when I try to compile the .chm, the application
craches

Here are a few resources that may help:

http://helpware.net/FAR/far_faq.htm#HTML_Help_Compilation
http://www.mshelpwiki.com/index.php?page=HtmlHelpHowToFix

I think I'd start by ensuring that the compiler components
are properly registered, using MJ's Diagnostics or HTML
Help DLL Registrar (see second link above).

Pete

Dana Cline

2004-04-29 14:02:44 UTC

Permalink

Post by -+= graq =+-
I'm running Linux, Unix and WinXP all in a network. The files used as
source for the creating of the .hhp (and other) files are on Linux.
The software used to create them is open source and was run on Linux.

Out of curiosity, which program did you use to create them?

Post by -+= graq =+-
The saga (so far) - refering to the MS help download page - is that
HHupd.exe will not install as I have IE6 on WinXP SP1 (which
supercedes it). HTMLHelp.exe will not install (normally) as it thinks
I don't have enough HDD space. However I managed to install it running
it under Win2K compatibility mode (hurrah!).

I don't know why the installer would complain about the disk space, but
apparently it doesn't like those large partitions. Don't you have a smaller
drive you could install to? But it sounds like you got it installed, at
least.

Definitely sounds like a bug in the compiler code. However, I can make a
couple of assumptions here. One is that "htmlproc" processes the HTML.
Second, it found something in one of your files that it didn't like.

Have you ever compiled this successfully on any PC? If not, I'd suspect the
input to the compiler. Yeah, it's a compiler bug, but what triggered it?
Take a look at MJ's diagnostics that Pete mentioned, and also try the free
KeyTools at www.keyworks.net. If none of this helps, I'd be happy to stuff
them thru my compiler, and also see how my authoring tool (ForeHelp) would
handle importing the project and see whether it would choke on anything. If
you want me to do this, email me at ... dana at logicsmith dot com (my home
address).

Dana Cline - MVP

Bob Dietz

2004-04-29 15:39:59 UTC

Permalink

Post by -+= graq =+-

Post by Dana Cline
Correct me if I'm wrong, but several things I infer from your message...

Err.. you are wrong ... and right, of course! It's always both, makes
life so beautifully complicated.

When you attempt to compile, is Workshop running in Win2K compatibility
mode? (Never had to mess with campatibility mode, so that may not be a
sensible question. If so, sorry.)

Post by -+= graq =+-
However when I try to compile the .chm, the application craches,
Wednesday, April 28, 2004 16:32:27
Microsoft HTML Help Workshop Version 4.74.8702
HHA Version 4.74.8702
htmlproc.cpp(114) : Assertion failure: (pszTmp ==
m_pCompiler->m_pHtmlMem->psz)
Googling for the error leads to pages pointing back to the MS Help web
page, indicating that an update is required. Which leaves me back
where I was?

The file extension .cpp belongs to C++ source files. So I think it's
fair to assume that workshop isn't installed properly and hhw.exe can't
find everything it's looking for.

Post by -+= graq =+-

Post by Dana Cline
Dana Cline - MVP

Thanks Dana.

Dana Cline

2004-04-29 15:49:16 UTC

Permalink

Post by Bob Dietz
The file extension .cpp belongs to C++ source files. So I think it's

fair to assume that workshop isn't installed properly and hhw.exe can't
find everything it's looking for.

Close. An "assertion failure" is the result of a debugging statement that
the programmer put into the code. In theory, an assert should never be
triggered in a "release version" - you should only see them in programs
compiled for debug. The failure is meant to tell the programmer which test
failed and where (i.e., source file name and line number) but is relatively
useless for the average user.

Dana Cline - MVP

Bill Burns [MVP]

2004-04-29 15:55:28 UTC

Permalink

For the HTML, it shouldn't matter, but it's possible that the compiler is
having trouble with the encodings for the HHP, HHC, and HHK files. You might
try opening them and saving them again under Windows.

Post by -+= graq =+-
The saga (so far) - refering to the MS help download page - is that
HHupd.exe will not install as I have IE6 on WinXP SP1 (which
supercedes it).

This file updates the viewer, and it should be unnecessary for Win 2000 or
XP. It was used to update the hhctrl.ocx on Win 98 and NT 4 machines, and
possibly on others that didn't have IE 5.5 or higher installed. If you have
IE 5.5 or 6, you should be fine.

Post by -+= graq =+-
HTMLHelp.exe will not install (normally) as it thinks
I don't have enough HDD space. However I managed to install it running
it under Win2K compatibility mode (hurrah!).

Hmmm. Odd. I've installed it on a number of XP Pro machines, the most recent
on a 160 GB drive. I'd try removing it, downloading a clean installation
file, and installing again.

Bill Burns [MVP]
***@cableone.net

-+= graq =+-

2004-04-30 15:03:59 UTC

Permalink

Hi guys.

OK. I seem to be well on my way now.

I uninstalled all the HelpFile related files I had installed and
downloaded htmlhelp.exe again. This time installing without HDD size
problems (hurrah!), but still generating some errors (about not being
able to update something - I didn't catch exactly what as more
dialogue boxes popped up and closed by themselves).

I then recreated my HHP, HHC, HHK and HTML files, converted them all
from unix to dos format and made sure that the full paths were correct
(pointing to the new folder on WinXP).

And although some error warning messages were reported, I did actually
manage to create a .chm file that works. It is a little incomplete,
but it does work.

I have no idea what a catalogue of errors (corrupt download? wrong end
of line chars? incorrect filepaths?) led to catching out the creator
of htmlproc.cpp, but I am thankful for all the help I received here.
It is much appreciated!

-=-
To reply by email; replace google with your name.